Author: Brian S. Leon
Publication Date: June 16, 2015
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Red Adept Publishing
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Eternal life. Eternal battle.
Steve—Diomedes Tydides to his Trojan War buddies—just had a bad day on his charter fishing boat in San Diego, but when the goddess Athena calls on her faithful warrior for another secret mission, he’s ready.
The bomb that exploded inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art isn’t the crime American authorities think it is. Someone also stole the Cup of Jamshid, and Diomedes knows its fortune-telling abilities won’t be used for anything benign.
Though Diomedes recovers the Cup from a determined shaman holed up beneath Central Park, when he finds his allies slain and the Cup taken once more, he knows he’s up against a truly powerful enemy.
Over a millennium has passed since Diomedes last contended with Medea of Colchis, deranged wife of Jason the Argonaut, but neither her madness nor her devotion to Hecate, goddess of witchcraft, has waned, and she intends to use the Cup of Jamshid to release across the world a dark brand of chaos unseen in human history.
Immortal since the Trojan War, Diomedes must once again fight for mortals he understands less and less, against a divine evil he may never truly defeat.
Author Interview:
Where did the idea for Havoc Rising come from?
I was reading the Iliad and one of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files books again and something caught my attention about the character of Diomedes in the Iliad so I started to dig into him more. Then I found myself wondering about the toughness of certain mythical creatures. Sure bullets don’t do anything to vampires, but what if he were hit by a really big bullet? Like a Raufoss high explosive armor piercing round from a.50 caliber rifle? That thing is designed to go through brick walls at 800 yards and then kill whatever is behind the wall. I don’t care what you are, that would have to hurt. And then I kinda started writing.
What did you do on your last birthday?
We just went to dinner. Japanese teppanyaki.
Do you have any tattoos? Where? When did you get it/them? Where are they on your body?
No, I leave the tattoos to my younger brother. On him they look good. On me they’d be out of place.
What are you working on right now?
Trying to finish the second draft of my second book to get it to the publisher while simultaneously trying to finish book three all while preparing for the release of Havoc Rising.
What do you think you’re really bad at?
Sitting still for very long. I can’t do nothing. I gotta be doing something.
Have you ever had an imaginary friend?
No.
Any weird things you do when you’re alone?
Come up with ideas for my next story. It doesn’t sound weird, but my computer’s browser history would say otherwise.
What is your favorite quote and why?
“The deed is everything. The glory is naught.” –Goethe
I like it because it reminds me that my actions are what’s important and what should motivate me—not what I expect my actions to provide me. For me, it’s all about motives.
What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
I’m not a big ice cream fan. I prefer sherbets and sorbets and I prefer the fruity ones. I suppose I usually get some kind of rainbow sherbet normally.
Which mythological creature are you most like?
Seriously? A Fetch. It’s a doppelganger, so I appear just like me. Nah, probably a Lares, but a Lares Familiares, or a family protector. My family means a lot to me.
What are four things you can’t live without?
My wife, my iPad, my fishing gear, and crawfish.
What kind of music you like?
I’m a freak. I really don’t like music. I can listen to anything, but only because I can mostly tune it out. Unless it’s loud. Then it just gives me headaches.
Do you like to dance?
Not in the least.
What are 5 things within touching distance?
A computer, my iPad, my iPhone, my stainless steel Yeti cup, and a pad of paper.
What is your least favorite word?
Like, you know, like. It’s not that I dislike the word. I simply dislike how it’s used.
What part of the writing process do you dread?
Second and third drafts. Trying to refine stuff all while trying to write in such a way the editors won’t think you’re a no-talent hack when they finally get it.
Where do you get your best ideas?
Everywhere. The idea for my second book started with the black out here in San Diego a few years back. The idea for my third book came from watching a show on the history channel about unsolved murders. I have gotten other ideas from painting in museums and also from my own life.
What do you do to relax?
Fish. Technically fly fish. I have fished my entire life, but I prefer to fly fish when I fish on my own. I should add in saltwater to that, too. I just don’t live close enough to lakes and rivers to fish them. Plus I prefer to chase saltwater species. Yes—with a fly rod.
If we were to come to your house for a meal, what would you give us to eat?
If I wanted to impress you, probably something snazzy like a goat-cheese and herb stuffed chicken with a leek gratin. If I cooked what I wanted it would be some sort of shellfish, preferably boiled crawfish with mushrooms, sausage, corn, potatoes and such.
Do you listen to music when you're writing?
No. I often leave the TV on in another room for white noise though.
What song would you choose for Karaoke?
Honestly, I wouldn’t sing Karaoke, but if I had to, it’d be something simple. Maybe “Son of a Sailor,” by Buffett. I know all the words to that one I think.
First book you remember making an indelible impression on you.
Hemingway’s Old Man and the Sea. But not for the reasons everyone always hangs on the book—man versus beast/nature, man’s struggle with self, yada yada yada. It was a helluva fishing story when I was a kid and I still think it is today. Still love it.
Do you have any other talents you want to share?
I can cast a fly rod pretty well AND I can tie my own flies.
AUTHOR BIO:His varied interests include, most notably, mythology of all kinds and fishing, and he has spent time in jungles and museums all over the world studying and oceans and seas across the globe chasing fish, sometimes even catching them.
He has also spent time in various locations around the world doing other things that may or may not have ever happened.
Inspired by stories of classical masters like Homer and Jules Verne, as well as modern writers like J.R.R. Tolkien, David Morrell and Jim Butcher, combined with an inordinate amount of free time, Mr. Leon finally decided to come up with tales of his own.
Brian currently resides in San Diego, California.
AUTHOR LINKS:
Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Publisher Page
This tour was organized by Good Tales Book Tours!
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